Talon

by Savannah Rylan

  Glock was directly behind me and from time to time, I turned to look at him and he nodded. I had the fate of all these guys in my hand and that familiar feeling of responsibility crept up on me. The same responsibility I had felt towards my men and Jenson. Only this time, I was also responsible for the life of Jenson’s sister.

  I was leading these guys to nowhere. I could be leading them into a trap, to their death! But I didn’t care in that moment. All I cared about was finding Brooklyn.

  I heard someone’s voice.

  I stopped. Glock and the other stopped behind me.

  The voice sounded close enough and up ahead, I saw a group of Dragon Knights come out of a room. I peered in the dark, pressing myself to the wall.

  There was a guy at the head of the group who was passing around weapons to the others. Rifles and guns and knives. What were they preparing for? I counted five of them. They were already close to outnumbering us, and I had no idea how many others were there in this massive warehouse.

  We had backup, but they were outside.

  The DK’s hadn’t seen us. They were joking and laughing amongst themselves and from his side profile, I noticed the guy who was handing the weapons out was the same one at the bar. The one who had called Brooklyn by her name. The one who had put his arms around her when she had tried to leave the bar. I gripped my gun tighter in my hands and clenched my jaw. Now I was certain that Brooklyn had to be here. He seemed like he would keep her close to him.

  When the guys walked out of our vision, I held my hand up in the air and then pointed forward. None of these Bad Disciples had any military training like I did, but they knew how to follow commands.

  I walked stealthily forward, keeping my gun pointed ahead of me. I could hear the voices and the feet of the DK’s moving away from us, but I had every intention of following them. That asshole was going to lead me to Brooklyn.

  I kept myself and my men in the shadows as I followed them, at a distance from them and they still had no idea they had company.

  That’s when I saw another metal door slide open at the end of one of the passageways. I held up a hand and stopped and Glock and the others stopped too.

  A woman came out of the room and I watched as she started filing a group of girls out. The DK’s had gone ahead and disappeared, but my focus was now on the girls.

  They were following the older woman’s orders. Keeping their heads down and eyes to the ground. They were dressed for prostitution work. That much was certain. And my eyes quickly scanned the group, which was made of seven of them.

  Then the older woman, who seemed to be their leader, stuck her head into the room again.

  “Scarlet, come on out honey. Don’t make me get one of the guys!” I heard her say and I squinted in the dark to see.

  That’s when I saw Brooklyn. The woman had a hand on Brooklyn’s elbow, pulling her out of the room. She was resisting.

  I clenched my jaws, tightening my grip on my gun as I saw her come out of the room. She was still wearing the same clothes I’d seen her in that morning, except that her cheeks looked tear stained and her makeup looked loud and cheap. She’d been forced to appear like the rest of the girls.

  “Stand here, keep your head down and do as you’re told. You know the rules now, Scarlet,” the woman said and I could feel my breathing getting harsh.

  “My name is Brooklyn!” she screeched and I had to do everything I could to not step out of the shadows.

  Instead I turned to Glock and nodded my head at him.

  “Go,” Glock mouthed the word. He knew it was Brooklyn and he knew what I had to do. I made a thumbs-up sign and broke away from my group. I crouched and ran up into another passageway, closer to where the group of girls were standing.

  “Don’t make me call the men, Scarlet. They won’t treat you as well as I’m treating you,” the woman said and I pressed myself to the corner of the passageway. If I looked out, the girls would see me now and I couldn’t risk them raising an alarm.

  “Let’s go girls!” I heard her call out and then I heard the shuffling of feet.

  I was alone now. The others were going to focus on taking out the rest of the Dragon Knights gang. My only responsibility was Brooklyn and I was so close to her. Close enough to have seen the sadness and frustration in her eyes.

  I’d just have to wait for the right moment to grab her and take her to safety.

  21

  Brooklyn

  I wasn’t about to give in that easily. Nancy had a tight grip on my arm and I knew she wanted me to herd out with the rest of the girls, but I jerked my arm away from her.

  “I want to speak to Viper, first,” I snapped at her. I knew she was just doing her job and she’d get into trouble if she didn’t do it correctly, but I wasn’t going down without a fight. I could see the look of fear mixed with anger in Nancy’s eyes and I crossed my arms over my breasts.

  “I’m not going anywhere till I’ve spoken to Viper,” I said.

  The other girls were standing around us, glaring at me. If they admired me for my courage; they were keeping it to themselves. Outwardly, they could only pretend to hate me for delaying them from what was inevitably about to happen.

  Nancy had her jaws clenched at me.

  “You have to do as I say, Scarlet. You’re the club’s property now,” she said and now Candy spoke up.

  “We all are,” she added.

  “I have to speak to Viper first,” I repeated myself in a hissing voice and Nancy rolled her eyes at me.

  “You’re going to get us all killed if you keep up this attitude,” she said and I shook my head.

  “Just let me speak to Viper,” I said, in a louder voice and then we heard footsteps. I looked up to see Viper approaching us. He had a gun in his hand and two other Dragon Knights with him.

  “Viper!” I said, rushing towards him. I’d sweet talk my way out of this if I had to. These guys were drinking with me at the bar just the previous night. Surely, they’d be sympathetic to me.

  “Hello, sugar,” he said and grabbed my shoulders when I came up to him.

  “What is going on? You’ve taken it too far,” I said in a squeaky voice and he smiled at me sleazily.

  “You’re not enjoying this?” he said and I looked up at him with a pout.

  “Okay, I’ve learned my lesson. Can I please go back home now?” I said, trying to make my voice sound as sweet as possible. There was no point being aggressive towards him now.

  “Lesson? We’re not trying to teach you lesson, sugar. We’re putting you to work,” he said and that smile on his face remained while I stared at him with widened eyes. I never thought I’d ever hear him say that.

  “Why? Viper, you can’t do this to me. Luke would never have allowed it,” I cried and my hands flew to my mouth.

  “Luke is dead, and you’re no use to us. You’ve been causing trouble, Brooklyn, and you need to be kept under control,” he said and brought his face close to me. He was peering into my eyes, breathing in my scent.

  “I didn’t mean to cause trouble, Viper. I promise. I swear I’ll listen to everything you say from now on,” I cried and he smiled again.

  “This color suits your whore face,” he said in a sizzling voice while he studied my makeup, and I felt goosebumps on my arms. No matter how mean he had been to me before, I’d never heard him use this voice with me.

  “Viper, please…” I said, tears beginning to well up in my eyes again.

  “That’s what you are, aren’t you? A whore. Whoring around with that Bad Disciple motherfucker?!” he said and raised a hand over my face.

  “We need her without bruises for tonight,” it was Nancy who had cut in and Viper looked up at her and I could see the look of warning in his eyes. Nancy had dared to stand up for me. I cowered beneath him, all my courage draining from my muscles now.

  “Viper, please…I told you I can explain,” I whimpered, trying to think of excuses to come up with why Gunner was in my apartment.

  �
��Save it, you’re good for nothing now,” he said and turned from me. I shrieked and threw myself at him.

  “Did you kill him? Did you kill Gunner?” I screamed, bunching up my fists and throwing them at his back. It barely even affected Viper and he looked over his shoulder at me. He was smiling at me again.

  “Is he your little boyfriend? Well, he’s dead now,” he said with a sly smile and the tears came gushing down my cheeks again. I couldn’t bear to hear those words. I continued throwing my fists at Viper’s back and he continued to smile.

  “C’mon, get back in line,” Nancy was trying to hold me back while I screamed and sobbed and tried to hit Viper.

  “Give her to Connor James tonight, Nancy,” he said to her and in his eyes, I could see he had decided a terrible fate for me.

  “She’s not ready for him, Sir, she’s not been broken in,” Nancy said in a soft reverential voice.

  “Do what I tell you to do. You’re not her mother, bitch!” Viper barked at Nancy who cowered and nodded her head.

  I was crying, still sobbing loudly. I couldn’t believe this was actually happening to me. How had my life come to this?

  “Luke would have killed you for this! Daddy would have never let this happen!” I was screaming as Viper began to walk away. The other two guys were going with him, each with sickening smiles on their faces. When had the Dragon Knights turned into this? No matter what daddy or Luke traded in, no matter what crimes they had to commit for work…I knew they would never have put innocent women through this. And definitely not one of their own.

  “You don’t have anyone left to protect you, sugar. Just try and enjoy yourself tonight with Connor James,” Viper said and he exchanged sniggers with the others.

  I felt like I was going to be sick. I’d collapsed to the floor, crying and kicking before Nancy started pulling me up.

  “Don’t pull something like that ever again, do you hear me?” she said in a low voice through gritted teeth. I was still sobbing, beginning to feel helpless.

  “Now, get back in line and follow the others,” she said, giving me a little shove in the direction of the other girls.

  At least I tried. Now that Gunner was dead, now that I’d never see him again…what was the point in even fighting this? I was so close to just giving up.

  22

  Gunner

  Good girl, I thought to myself as I watched Brooklyn screaming and throwing punches at the guy she called Viper. She wasn’t about to go down without a fight. As desperate I was to save her, and as much as I didn’t want to see her getting hurt; I was proud of her courage.

  Every word that came out of that asshole’s mouth had made me want to step out and take him down. But I was outnumbered and they were all armed. It would be a stupid move for me to reveal myself. Instead, I had to hold back and watch Brooklyn trying to stand up for herself. Just a few more minutes, I thought to myself. Just a few more minutes, and I’d have her safely with me.

  After the guys left, Brooklyn looked defeated as the older woman called Nancy shoved her back in line with the others. They all had the same empty expression on their faces and I wanted to save all of them. They were all innocent. But my priority was Brooklyn. Once she was safe, I could worry about rescuing the others. I hoped that Glock and the others were safe, but I hadn’t heard any shots being fired which meant that they hadn’t been discovered. At least not yet.

  I waited a few more minutes till the girls started to be herded forward. I needed Nancy to not turn around so that I could get closer to Brooklyn. Luckily, she was the last one in line so it would be easier for me. I remained in the shadows, counted to five and just when the girls started moving, I crouched and rushed towards her.

  It took me a few seconds to come up behind Brooklyn and I grasped her mouth. Her instinct was to scream and wriggle but I had pulled her back into the shadows before the girl in front of her noticed. The noise in the warehouse also made it easier.

  We both fell back on a wall and I dragged her harder. She still didn’t know who had their hand on her mouth, so she continued to struggle.

  “Brooklyn, it’s me,” I whispered in her ear and I sensed her muscles freeze. She stopped fighting me and it was safe for me to take my hand away from her mouth.

  She whipped around and I watched as she bit down on her lip, containing the happy scream that was rising in her. I placed a finger on her lips and she nodded.

  I pulled her into my arms again and she buried her face in my chest. Her body was warm and cold at the same time as we clung to each other. There was nothing I wanted to feel more, than to have her in my arms again.

  “You’re alive,” she said in a breathless whisper and I stroked her head.

  “I got away when they started firing at me,” I replied, my voice was muffled by her hair.

  “Gunner…I thought you were dead,” she squeaked and I pulled her away from me gently, peering deep into her eyes. She was beautiful and I’d not forgotten how she was capable of making me feel. This was more than just about rescuing Jenson’s sister, this was about her and me. About how I felt for her. I could feel the adrenaline pumping in my veins.

  “I know, but we’re going to get out of here. I’m not going to let anything happen to you,” I said, stopping myself just in time from confessing my true feelings for her. I was in love with her, but she wouldn’t believe me. We’d just met.

  She nodded her head, smiling, and I could see the relief in her eyes.

  “You were right. I knew you were right. They hit me…I would have put up a fight,” she said, tearing up again and I pulled her into my arms.

  “We can talk about it later. You’ve been very brave. But I need you to stay here now, do you understand?” I said, hugging her close to me. I could feel the wetness spreading on my shoulders where she had rubbed the tears on her cheeks. Brooklyn nodded her head again.

  “They’re going to notice you’re missing. I need to finish this. My friends are out there somewhere and I need to give them a hand,” I said and she nodded again. I reached over and kissed her, just when I heard a gunshot being fired. Our lips met and I breathed in her scent. If something was going to happen to me, at least I’d know that she was safe and that I’d had her in my arms again.

  “Go…” she said, in a weak voice as I pulled away from her. Our fingers interlaced as I stepped away from her and I felt the pressure of her hand.

  “Be safe, Gunner,” she said and I smiled at her.

  “You stay here,” I said and she nodded again.

  She slunk back in the shadows, pressing herself to the wall and I stepped out. The group of girls she was with were nowhere in sight, but I could hear raised voices and shouting in the distance. The Dragon Knights knew we were here. We’d been found out, but it didn’t matter anymore. Brooklyn was safe and that was how I intended to keep her.

  I wanted to get to Viper. He was the bastard I was really focused on. I kept my gun pointed forward as I strode down the dark corridors of the warehouse. In the distance, somewhere within the labyrinth of the structure; I could hear high pitched voices, running and shots.

  My military training came back to me, like second nature and I had all my senses focused on shooting at a split second’s notice. Just like I had been trained to do.

  Something had caught fire somewhere, because I could smell the burn. It was hot as hell in there, and just like in the army, I could feel the sweat dripping down my temples.

  A Dragon Knight appeared in front of me just as I blinked, and I saw him move his hands. He was going to shoot but I shot him first. He fell to the ground screaming and two others came out from one of the corridors. I shot one, point blank in the head and the other one’s bullet grazed my arm. I shot him too.

  I could feel the searing pain where the bullet had cut open my flesh. It was my right arm, just at the bicep, and my hand shook for a second. I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to keep my gun steady. But I had turned into a killing machine. I wasn’t going to disappoint
my club and I was going to keep Brooklyn safe. Nothing else mattered. Pain was all in the mind and I wasn’t concerned about my body.

  My muscles rippled under my t-shirt as I walked up noiselessly behind another Dragon Knight. I shot him in the back and he yelped in pain, falling to the ground. I didn’t see another one coming towards me, holding a knife up in the air.

  My hands shook as I pointed at him but before I could pull the trigger, he fell down screaming to the ground. Sniper was at the other end of the corridor, smiling. He got to him first. I returned his smile and then he tipped his head to the side.

  I followed him.

  We were headed towards the main shutters of the warehouse and now I could hear girls screaming.

  “Where are they?” I asked Sniper and he pointed to the front.

  I could see the streetlights pouring in through the open shutters now and there were blazes of shots. The Bad Disciples and the Dragon Knights were shooting at each other. I joined in the chaos, shooting at whoever I had the chance and ducking behind a wall. When I peeped out to take aim at someone else, I saw Tank at the mouth of the warehouse.

  He was ushering the girls out into safety. Axel would be waiting for them with another group of backups from the Bad Disciples, to take the girls. That was the plan.

  “You!” I heard a voice behind me and I turned with my gun pointed.

  It was Viper and he had his teeth gritted and he was throwing himself at me. I pulled the trigger but I was out of bullets and his hands curled around my neck.

  I pushed back, reaching for his neck as I tried to strangle him at the same time. His eyes were bloodshot, bulging as we both tried to kill each other. I wanted to kill him with my bare hands for touching Brooklyn. I didn’t care if he killed me in the process. I could feel myself choking, the flesh on my bicep burning where the bullet had cut it open.